In California and other liberal areas across Joe Biden’s America, criminals have been emboldened like never before. From petty crime to violent assaults, and even murder, all forms of crime are being committed at record-breaking rates.
However, very few places have been hit as hard as the Marxist havens that are San Francisco and Los Angeles, which have been terrorized by a spate of smash-and-grab robberies, follow-home burglaries, assaults, and organized retail crime, thanks to leftist policies that promote lawlessness and hamper law enforcement.
These ‘defund the police’ agendas have allowed criminals to operate and organize largely unchecked, which has led to criminals taking bigger, more sophisticated risks and targeting higher-value prizes for their efforts. And, why wouldn’t they? After all, crime goes largely unpunished in liberal areas. So, organized criminal gangs are taking full advantage – for some, the days of petty smash-and-grabs are long gone.
Last week, a group of thieves proved just that when they pulled off a shocking “Italian Job”-style heist in which they stole more than $100 million in jewelry from an armored truck.
According to local CBS affiliate KPIX, a group of individuals intercepted a Brink’s armored truck loaded with millions of dollars of jewelry on July 10. The truck was transporting 25-30 bags of fine jewelry following an exhibition hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, which is south of the Bay Area. It was headed to another event on July 11 at the Pasadena Convention Center, northeast of downtown Los Angeles, when it was hit.
In all, “18 victims reported more than $100 million in losses,” the group’s director, Brandy Swanson, explained to KPIX.
The heist occurred as the armored truck was passing through Lancaster, which is located just north of Los Angeles, according to Laura Eimiller, the spokeswoman for the FBI in Los Angeles, which is investigating the case. The criminals are still at large.
A spokesperson for Brinks disputed the total value of the jewelry that was stolen, claiming the amount to be worth closer to $10 million than $100 million. Swanson disagreed, arguing that the value could actually be closer to $150 million because small business vendors underinsure their goods in order to save money – a decision that could seriously backfire as many of the vendors had their entire livelihoods stolen.
“That’s where the discrepancy comes in. These are mom-and-pop operators. They’re devastated. Some of these people have lost their entire livelihoods.”
One vendor who spoke with KPIX lamented that he had lost everything he had, including a “19 karat yellow gold with over 100 carats of multicolored sapphire.”
He now worries about how he will feed his family following the devastating blow.
“My life. That’s how I live. That’s how I feed my kids,” he explained to KPIX.
Criminals pulling off an armored truck heist fit for a Hollywood movie? Only in Joe Biden’s America.
The post California Thieves Get Away with $100+ Million in Jewelry After Pulling Off “Italian-Job”-Style Armored Truck Robbery appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
